Feed for resaw machines



Sep. 6, 1932. E. McKuEN 1,875,633

` FEED FOR nEsAw MACHINES v Filed oct. 29, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. dam/m', WMI/nz ORNEYS.

Sept. 6, 1932. E. MCKUEN FEED FOR RESAW MACHINES Filed Oct. 29.` 1929 2 Shee'tS-Sheet 2 Liga l 2%@ f 144W A TTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 6, 1932 EDWARD, MCKUEN, or SAN FRANCISCO, CAIJromvIA FEED ron rImsavv liirACHINEs `application mea october 29, 1929'. 'serial No. 403,217.

This invention relates -to wood working machinery, and particularly pertains to machinery for automatically feeding and resawing lumber.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a device, which may be used in conjunction vwith a` saw to Vautomatically feed pieces of lumber from a stack of 'lumber to the saw, and to `successively and progressively feed the individual pieces of lumber against thesaw` in a manner to insure that'the lumber will be split and that the saw will-not at anytime be overcrowded bythe work being fed thereto." The present invention contemplates a struc-` ture embodying a magazine' in which a stack lof lumber to'be sawed may be placed, andv in conjunction with which automatic means are provided to successively remove the foremost piece from the stackrand to place it in cutting and feeding 'relationto a band saw.

The invention' is illustrated by way of example in the: accompanying drawings, i'n

whichf Fig. 1Y is a view in vertical section and elevation, showing the horizontal feed table with which the present invention is concerned and the driving means therefor;

3 y Fig. 2: is a view in side elevation showing o the assembled machine.

Fig. 3 is 'a view in plan showing the horizontal feed table and the transverse feed for delivering the work to the saw.

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation showing the machine with which the present invention is concerned, and more particularlyshowing the details of the various drives therefor.

F ig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view in 404 elevati'on,'showing a portion of the transverse Referring' more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a sub-frame with which the present invention'ris concerned, includ# ing a plurality of vertical posts 11 and upper and'lower'connecting members 12 and 13. ,Mounted vatoppositeends of the subframe structure are bearings 14 and 15 which rotatably support a pair of horizontally eX- .tending shafts 16 and 17. These shafts'are' disposed paral'lelftoA each' other' and aresubfeed chain with a feedflight attachedV thereto'.v

stantially "in the same horizontal plane.` Mounted 'upon the shafts "is aplliralityof pulleys 18, preferably iianged, and around' i which feedbelts 19 extend. The'uppr run 'f of each of the feed belts y19 is in the sameV '55 *i horizontal plane and provides a suitable traveling support for a stack ofy lumber, generally indicated at 20 in" Fig. 3' of the drawings.

It is to be understood that while the term "stack has been employed, "it is not" to be 60 "j" inferred that the pieces of lumber are piled one upon the other but that they are stacked" together horizontally 'so that the foremost piece 21=will be removed from the end of the stack and moved in a plane lat right angles 65 i i to the `direction of travelof the4 lumberasv it is advanced on the conveyorbelts 19which comprises thefeed table22;

The endless'belts ,'19 formingr the'ffe'ed'ftable 22 are simultaneously driven in the direction 70 d of the arrow a' by a chain`23 leading overa i sprocket 24'on'the'sh'aft 17, which chain also v passes arounda sprocket 25 carried on a jack shaft 26. The jack nshaft isdisposed adjacent' to' the bottom ofthe "sub-,frame 7'5 structure and is suitably mountedinbearings. "27. The shaft is dri'ven'by a motor 28, sup-4 ported uponthe beams A13,'and derives its power" therefrom through" a drivebelt 29 which passes arounda pinion V30 on the ar- 80 i A matur-e shaft of the motbrandarounda sprocket 31 on the jack shaft 26. Thev chain 23 isA not directly driven frornthe shaft 26,

due to the fact that it is desirable to'advance l the stack20 onthe feeltabl'e 22 ata relav f85 tively slow rate of speed; For that 'reasonaJ pinion 82 is keyed upon the 'shaft 26` and v1s in mesh'with a large gear mountedupon a Shaft 34. Thisshaa also. carriesfasmall* j vpinion `35".'rotating therewith and lbeing 111 90 mesh with fa' large'gear 36ffreely mounted upon the shaft 26l and fixed to rotatewith thesprocket 25. j i v The shaft 26 is also fitted witha pair'of anged pulleys 37 and 38 receiving belts'39 `95 and 140, respectively. These belts p ass n around"` flanged pulleys 41 and 42 carrledf' upon'a horizontal-'shaft43 which -is mounted n near the top of the sub-framel'inbearmgs 44;k

At the outer end ofv theV shaft43 isa/bevel 100 "5 gear 45 in constant mesh with a b-evel gear 46 carried upon a vertical shaft 47. The vertical shaft is rotatably supported in brackets 48. At the upper end of the shaft 48 a horizontally disposed sprocket 49 is mounted. This sprocket receives thetransverse feed chain 5() which is disposed in a horizontal plane parallel to and above that ,of the feed table 22 and travels around vthe sprocket 49 and a complementary sprocket 5l in a direction at right angles to the direction of travel of the advancing material upon the feed table 22.

By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the run of the sprocket chain 50, adjacent tov the' feed table, defines the end ofthe travel iof the advancing stack of material 20 on the yfeed table 22 and that flights 52, mounted upon the various links of the chain 50, will abut against thek end of the foremost piece of work in thestack 20 and strip it 4from .the end of the Astack and move it in the general direction of the saw blade53. f L i The feed flights 52 of the sprocket chain 5() are shown in detail in Fig. 5 ofthe draw-v ings, where it will be seenthat they include a lug 54, disposed vertically edgewise, and av U-shapedbodytportion 55 having a vertical leg which extends. downwardly. through a slot 56 in Athe/side link 57 of the chain 50.

Each ofthe side links of the chain .is formed with such a slot, making it possible to. detachably .position the v'flights for accommodating pieces of work of variable length; it being understood, of course, that the work fedk to the machine at any one setting is allv of uniform length.

The side of the feed :table adjacent to the tate the transverse movement Vof the pieces of work without undue-frictional resistanceV of the work against thearail 59 as advances therealong.' Y f A guide member`6l also extends transversely of theL end of the feed` tableV 22, as shown in Fig. 2, and tends to hold the piece of work in vertical' alignment as it is .advancedby a flight 52 of the chain 50. l/Vhile a steady rest 62 is disposed above the piece the work of work and holds `it down asit advances' transversely along the floor 63, this steady rest is adjustably supported upon a rod 64 and may be secured in its lset position by a set screw 65. The individual advancing pieces of work 21 areheld against lateral movement by an adjusting side rail 66 formed rthat it is ,not advisable to crowd the work into the cutting yedge of the saw with the same `non-resisting .force at all times, and for that reason the belt 39, which transmits power from the jack shaft 36 to the horizontal shaft 43, is provided with a belt tightener 'structure as best illustrated in Fig. 2; and

the pulley 88 for th-e belt 40 is made of a slightly larger diameter than the pulley 37y so that there will be some dierential action to compensate for irregularities in thelength of the various pieces of'work as well as dif'- ferences in the hardness of the work orl the L u .90' 1 The belt tightener structure is shownin detail in Fig. 2`of the drawings where it will presence of knots.

vbe seen to comprise an'foscillatingarm y71 mounted on a pivot 72 at the'bottoin of the sub-frame and carrying a tightener pulley 73 at a point intermediate its ends. This pulley rests against one run of the belt 39 and upon the belt as determined bymanipulation of .an adjusting screw 74 which extends through a nut 7 5 lcarried at the upper and free end oftheoscillating bars71.

The screw 74 extends throughga suitable bearing in the frame and is fitted with a bevel t.

gearf? 6 at its end, which `gear-is inmesh with a gear76a carried upon an adjusting lvaries the tensionwhichv may beimposed shaft 77. rlhe adjusting shaft extends at* right angles to the screwf74 and to apoint` beyond the side ofthe machine where it is fitted with a hand wheel 78by which it may be rotated and the belt 40 variably tensioned to establish the normal slippage which might' take place in the drive of the transverse f chain 50.

v In order to provide for Vanadjustment'of,ll

my improved feeding ,devicewith respect toV the sawtovwhich the work is being fed,`Iy

have provided means whereby the complete apparatus may be moved bodily in a direction toward and away from the saw and also to the right or left thereof; the formeradjust-v ment beingto adapt the machine to thevfeeding of work of different lengthsand the latter adjustment being for the purposepof ceni tering work of different thicknesseswith respect to the saw. These means consist of' a Y stationary foundation or tie plate 7,9' which is adapted to be permanently securedtoa firmv foundation.

For adjusting lthe machine kwith respect iso to the center of the saw there 'is attached to this tie plate a pair of rods 8O which extend horizontally along the lower part of the frame 10 and connect with a lever 81 (see Fig. 2) which is journaled upona sha-ft 82.

At the upper end of the lever 81 there is provided a suitable handle 83 and a clamping nut 84 which, in cooperation with an arcuate slot 85, may be tightened to secure the lever 81 in any desired position so as to hold the machine at any point to which it is moved. For adjusting the machine toward and away from the saw, as above suggested, I provide upon the end of the tie plate 7 9 an upstanding flange 86, upon which there is journaled a screw 87 The screw 87 is threaded into a boss 88 secured to the frame 10 and it carries at this outer end a suitable crank or hand wheel 89, by means ,of which the screw may be turned to thus adjust the position of the apparatus with respect to its distance from the saw.

The operation of my device is as follows: It is assumed th at the machine has been properly adjusted with respect to the saw 53 and that the work consisting of pieces of lumber 2O has been stacked upon the conveyor belts 19. When the motor 28 is energized the conveyor belts 19 will travel slowly toward the transverse feed chain 50, and as the flights 52 upon the latter chain engage the ends of the pieces of work 21, it will strip olf the foremost piece of work and advance it .toward the saw into engagement with the saw feedinnY mechanism (illustrated in dot and dash lines. Fig.

While I have. for the sake of clearness and in ord-er to disclose my invention so that the same can be readilv understood. described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements. I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed butl may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves, in view of this broad disclosure, to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is broadly new and it is desired to claim it as such so that all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claim are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim Aand desire to secure by Letters Patent is- In a lumber feeding device, the combination of a means for supporting lumber edgewise in a stack, a conveyor means extending at right angles to said stack and adapted to strip ofi' the lumber one piece at a time from the end of said stack, said conveyor means consisting of an endless chain travelling in a horizontal plane and having vertically disposed slots in the links thereof, and flights having hooked ends thereon for removable p engagement with said slots.

EDWARD MCKUEN. 

